The Secret PlaceThe Secret Place
Score Modern
What it's about
Sixteen-year-old Holly Mackey brings Detective Stephen Moran a photo of a boy murdered a year ago, with the caption 'I KNOW WHO KILLED HIM.' The trail leads into her exclusive girls' boarding school.
Why it's worth reading
It was an Anthony Award finalist. It's a psychological mystery from Tana French.
You'll love it if you liked
In the Woods
Faithful Place
The Secret HistoryGood to know
Holly first appeared as a child witness in Faithful Place, but this stands on its own.
By the numbers
- Readers24 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics18 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller40 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz3 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #478 of the 623 mysteries and thrillers we rank
- #1313 of the 1,647 modern books we rank
- #2485 of the 3,056 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Gripping
More by Tana French
If you like this, read next
Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland
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Gone Girl
The Martian
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Mysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 623 ranked
Modern booksTop 25 · 1,647 ranked
Books of the 2010sTop 25 · 751 ranked
Fantasy booksTop 25 · 504 ranked
Literary novelsTop 25 · 325 ranked
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelsTop 25 · 63 ranked
Memoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 ranked
Science fiction booksTop 25 · 333 rankedQuick answers
Is The Secret Place worth reading?
Yes. It was an Anthony Award finalist. It ranks #2,485 of the 3,056 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 60.5 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Secret Place about?
Sixteen-year-old Holly Mackey brings Detective Stephen Moran a photo of a boy murdered a year ago, with the caption 'I KNOW WHO KILLED HIM.' The trail leads into her exclusive girls' boarding school.
How long does it take to read The Secret Place?
About 13 hours (528 pages), or about 4 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Secret Place?
If you liked it, try In the Woods by Tana French, Faithful Place by Tana French or The Secret History by Donna Tartt.